Apparatus for drawing and straightening wire stock



Feb- 9, 1943- F. w. GAINES, 3D., ET AL 2,310,916

APPARATUS FOR DRAWING AND STRAIGHTENING WIRE STOCK original Filed Aug. 25, 1941 s sheets-sheet 1 Feb. 9, 1943. F, W. GAINES, 3D., ET'AL 2,310,916

APPARATUS FOR DRAWING AND STRAIGHTRNING WIRE sTocK Original Filed Aug. 25, 1941 5 She`es-Sheet` 2 n INVENTOR.: @Ease/cz L44 GAV/ves if@ ATTORNEYS Feb' 9, 1943- F. w. GAINEs, 3D., ET AL 2,310,916

APPARATUS FOR DRAWING AND STRAIGHTENING WIRE STOCK original Filed Aug. 25, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheel 5 Eer 9i M ATToRNEYs Patented Feb. 9, 1943 APPARATUS FOR DRAWING AND STRAIGHTENING WIRE STOCK Frederick W. Gaines, 3rd, Cleveland Heights, and

William A. Ehlert, South Euclid, Ohio, assignors to The Ajax Manufacturing Company, Euclid, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Original application August 25, 1941, Serial No.

Divided and this application December 6, 1941, Serial No. 421,930

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel method and improved apparatus for drawing and straightening wire stock.

'I'his application is a division of our original application, Serial No. 408,142, led August 25, 1941. Stock feeding means embodying cooperating feed rolls of which one roll is mounted for relative swinging movement, as herein disclosed but not claimed, is claimed in said original application.

An object; of our invention is to provide a novel method in which the drawing and straightening of the wire stock are carried out in a manner to prevent skewing, twisting, or marring of the stock and to prevent warpage of the blanks or articles made from the drawn stock.

Another object of our invention ris to provide a novel method for operating on wire stock in which the stock is rst subjected to a drawing operation and immediately thereafter subjected to a straightening operation by overbending in a direction transverse to the direction of stock travel.

A further object of our invention is to provide improved stock drawing and feeding apparatus in which the feeding means is operated in timed relation to the drawing means. r

The invention may be further briey summarized as consisting in certain novel steps of procedure and in certain novel combinations and arrangements` of parts hereinafter described in detail and particularly set out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying sheets of drawings:

Fig. 1 is a partial side elevation showing one embodiment of our improved apparatus for drawing, feeding, and straightening wire stock;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same apparatus;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken through the machine substantially as indicated by line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a partial vertical sectional view illustrating the mounting for the upper feed rolls, the view being taken as indicated by line 4--4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a partial side elevation of the machine viewed as indicated by the line 5-5 of Fig. 2 and showing the drive for the feed rolls.

Our novel method and apparatus for operating on Wire stock will now be described in greater detail, and although in so doing particular reference will be made to the embodiment of the apparatus illustrated in the drawings, it should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to this particular apparatus but may be stock is fed and in which sections of predetermined length are cut in succession from the leading end of the stock.

The drawing unit 20 corresponds substantially with the Wire-drawing machine of United States Patent No. 2,226,400, granted December 24, 1940, and as disclosed in said patent, comprises a frame 24 having a reciprocating slide 25 therein carrying a wire-drawing die 26. 'I'he slide 25 may be actuated during the drawing stroke by a lever 21 which is carried by a transverse rock,

shaft 28. The drawing unit 20 also includes a stock gripping device 2'9 which grips and holds the stock during the drawing stroke and prevents backward movement of the stock While the die is being pushed thereover.

The feeding and straightening unit 22l is provided with a frame 22a having a pair of feed rolls 34 and 35 at the end thereof adjacent the drawing unit 20 and a second pair of feed rolls 36 and 31 adjacent the cut-off unit 23. Between the two pairs of feed rolls we provide a stock straightening means which acts to straighten the stock immediately after it has been drawn and this device may be any suitable straightener which Will accomplish this purpose. In this instance the straightening device comprises banks 38 and 39 of grooved straightening rollers.- The individual rollers 38a of the bank 38 lie in a substantially horizontal plane and are arranged in two rows or groups disposed on opposite sides of the stock 2l and with the rollers of one row disposed opposite the intervening spaces of the other row. The bank 39 comprises a similar arrangement of rollers 39a, but the rollers of this bank are arranged to lie in a substantially vertical plane.

The banks 38 and 39, as here shown, each cornprise seven straightening rollers, although a larger or smaller number of rollers might be employed.V The individual rollers of` these banks are mounted on blocks 40 which are slidable transversely of the axis of the stock so that the rollers of one row can be adjusted toward or away from the rollers of the other row. The three center rollers of each bank are located or adjusted so that they will produce overbending of the stock in a direction transversely of its axis, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. vThis overbending is shown somewhat exaggerated in Figs, 1 and 2, and in the actual machine is only as much as is necessary to obtain a desired straightness of the drawn stock.

'I'he straightening of the stock at a point in the apparatus immediately following the drawing operation i5 important and produces improved results not heretofore obtainable. Wire stock such as that on which the present apparatus is designed to operate is supplied to headers, screw machines, or other machines for producing bolts, screws, studs, and a-variety of other articles requiring straight cold drawn blanks for their fabrication. 'I'his stock is usually cold drawn and is taken up in coils during the drawing operation. These coils are stored until needed and during this time the stock becomes agehardened. If such age-hardened stock is supplied t a conventional straightening machine, it will be found that the straightened stock will not remain straight, but will acquire a warp corresponding with the bowed or curved contour of the stock while it remained in its coiled condition. Efforts have been made to overcome this tendency by passing the stock through rotary straightening devices, but these have introduced other diiculties such as a tendency to mar the stock and to cause the stock to swell during the cut-off operation. Such rotary straighteners are also subject to rapid wear, because the stock has become age-hardened while in the coiled condition and is difcult to straighten and requires a large amount of overbending.

We have found that by subjecting the stock to a straightening operation immediately following a drawing operation which hasl been performed in a straight line, the stock is not subjected to uneven strains as caused by coiling and will not thereafter have any tendency to warp or bend when it has been incorporated in blanks or various manufactured articles. In our method the stock is drawn in a straight line by the reciprocating action of the drawing die 26 and is then subjected to a straightening operation while it is .still free from age-hardening. When cold drawn coiled stock is supplied directly to the action of a straightener, the stock can twist and skew as it advances'and this causes uneven strains in the stock which also produce warping and interfere with the accuracy of the cut-off operation. In our method the gripping device 29 holds the stock from twisting or skewing during the drawing strokel and the drawing die holds the stock against .twisting or skewing during the feeding of the stock, and therefore such uneven strains will not occur'in the stock. The straightening operation, as above explained, consists in subjecting the stock to overbending in two different transverse planes, but which, in our method, need be only a relatively slight amount of overbendving. The important thing is that the stock is drawn in a straight line, is held against twisting or skewing, and is straightened immediately following the drawing operation, and we have found that with stock which has been thus treated, the blanks can be cut off more accurately as to length andv the articles manufactured therefrom will remain straight indefinitely.

We find it desirable to employ the two pairs of the feed rolls above referred to because this permits one nair of feed rolls i 34 and 35) to be located immediately adjacent the drawing unit 20 to receive the drawn stock therefrom and feed the same through the banks 38 and 38 of straightening rollers. The other pair of feed rolls (36 and 31) can be located between the straightening means and the cut-oil mechanism, and when a coil of stock is used up and the end passes through the feed rolls 34 and 35, the other pair of feed rolls 36 and 31 will continue to feed the stock into the cut-off unit 23.

As shown in the drawings, the feed rolls of each pair have peripheral grooves which grip the stock and advance the same as the rolls are driven intermittently. The lower rolls 34 and 36 are actuated by driving the shafts 34a and 36a upon which they are mounted and the upper rolls are mounted on shafts 35a and 31a which are driven from the shafts of the lower rolls by the spur gears 4| and 42'. The shafts 34a and 36a are journaled in the frame 22a to rotate on fixed axes and are driven in a manner to be presently explained.

'I'he mounting arrangement employed for the upper rolls 35 and 31 permits these rolls to swing toward or away from the lower rolls to properly grip the stock. Since the mountings for both of the upper rolls are substantially identical, it is only necessary to describe the mounting arrangement for the roll 35. The shaft 35a carrying the upper roll 35 is journaled in a swinging head 43 which has a hinge connection 44 with the frame 22a at a point offset laterally from the plane of the rolls. The rame 22a has an upwardly extending forked portion 46 thereon providing a recess or guideway 41 in which the swinging head 43 is vertically movable. A compression spring 49 located in a recess of the frame 22a at a point beneath the head 43 acts on the latter in a direction tending to separate the upper roll 35 from the lower roll 34.

The roll 35 may be shifted or yieldably pressed toward the roll 34 for the desired extent by means of a compound lever arrangement adapted to act on a rounded projection 50 of the head 43. This compound lever arrangement may comprise a lever 5I having a hinge connection 52 at one end thereof with the frame 22a and a second lever 53 yieldably fulcrumed on the frame and having a cam or eccentric portion 54 engageable with the outer end of the lever 5l. The fulcrum for the lever 53 may comprise a forked member or yoke 55 having a threaded stem 56 extending through the opening of a lug 51 of the frame. A compression spring 58 surrounding the stem below the lug 51 acts on the yoke 55 to cause the compound lever to yieldably shift the feed roll 35 toward the roll 34.

With the arrangement just described, it will be seen that the lever 53 will be very easy to operate because its force is applied to the lever 5| through the eccentric portion 54, and it is only necessary to swing the lever 53 about its pivot 53a to cause closing or opening of the feed rolls. A pair of lock nuts 56a may be provided on the stem 56 as an adjustable abutment which determines the extent to which the yoke 55 can be moved by the spring 58. The springs 49 and 58 are so selected that when the lever 53 is swung upwardly to release the spring 58, the spring 49 will lift the head 43 to separate the rolls and when the lever 53 is swung down to the position shown in the drawings, the action of the levers and the spring 58 will shift the head 43 downwardly, compressing the ls{p;i|ng 49 and pressing the roll 35 against the s oc In the present apparatus, the pairs of feed rolls are driven intermittently and for the proper interval to advance the stock after each drawing stroke of the die slide 25. `To obtain this timed actuation of the feed rolls we nd it desirable to drive the rolls from the actuating means for the die slide. As mentioned above, the die slide is actuated by the swinging lever 21 which is carried by the transverse rock shaft 28. The lever 21 may be actuated by a link or connecting rod 60 which connects the lower end of this lever with a transverse shaft 6I journaled in the frame 22a. The link 60 may be connected with the shaft 6| by means o f an eccentric block 62 which is adjustable relative to the axis of the shaft for varying the drawing stroke of the die slide 25. The rock shaft 28 also carries a lever 63 which is connected with the shaft 34a of the lower feed roll 34 by means of a link 64 and a clutch 65 having an arm or lever 65a with which the link is connected. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the shaft 6| has a head 6|a at its inner end which is provided with a guideway 6 Ib. The block 62, to which the link 60 is pivotally connected, is shiftable in the guideway 6|b by means of the adjusting screw 82a.

The clutch 66 is a one-way clutch of e, construction known to those skilled in the art and is arranged so that the clutch arm 65a will have an idle stroke during `the drawing stroke of the die slide 25, and will have a working stroke during the return stroke of the lever 21. When the clutch arm 65a swings through its idle stroke the feed rolls remain stationary, the stock at this time being held against backward movement by the gripping device 28 while the drawing die is being pushed over the stock by the working stroke of the die slide 25. During the working strokeof the clutch arm 65a, the clutch 65 drives the shaft 34a and the feed roll 34 mounted thereon. This same movement of the shaft 34a drives the upper feed roll 35 through the gears 4| and 42. The movement thus imparted to the feed rolls 34 and 35 feeds the stock forward while the slide-actuating arm 21 travels through its return stroke and the forward movement of the stock pulls the die slide 26 up against the lever 21 so that the die slide will be ready for the next drawing stroke.

The second pair of feed rolls 36 and 31 may be driven from the shaft 34a of the-feed roll 34 by means of a chain 66 extending around the sprockets 61 and 68. The sprocket 61 is carried by the shaft 34a and the sprocket 68 is carried by the shaft 36a of the feed roll 36. The stroke or driving interval of the two sets of feed rolls can be adjusted or varied with respect to the stroke of the die slide 25 by adjusting the position of the block 69 in the forked portion of the lever 63.

The various units of our mechanism are actuated from a shaft 8| which extends transversely of the machine and is suitably journaled in the frame 23. The shaft 8| may have a flywheel 84 thereon which is driven from a suitable power device such as an electric motor (not shown) by means of a suitable belt 86 orthe like.

We have explained above that the die slide 25 and the two pairs of feed rolls 34, 35 and 38, 31 are actuated from the shaft 6I. It should also be explained that the shaft 6| may be driven from the shaft 8| as by means of a chain |32 extending around the sprockets |33 and |34. By driving the shaft 6| from the shaft 8| it will be seen that the drawing and feeding operations can be car ried out in timed sequence to each other. In connection with the operation of the cut-oil' unit 23,

it should likewise be explained that when the leading end of the stock 2| is fed against a stop such as a stock gauge (not shown), there is an interval of time when the forward movement of the stock ceases while the two pairs of feed rolls are still being driven. When this occurs, the feed rolls slide relative to the stock, but inasmuch as this is only for a relatively short interval of time while the cutis being made, no damage is done to the stock.

From the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings, it will now be understood that we have provided a novel method and apparatus for drawing and straightening wire stock in such a Way that blanks cut from the leading end of the stock and the articles fabricated from such blanks will be entirely free of any tendency to warp or buckle.` It will be seen, furthermore, that the drawing, feeding, and straightening operations are all carried out in timed relation so that the drawn or sized stock can be supplied without interruption to the cut-off unit or other fabricating mechanism with which the drawing and straightening units are used.

While we have illustrated and described our novel method and apparatus in a more or less detailed manner, it will be understood, of course, that we do not wish to be limited to the particular procedure and apparatus herein described in detail, but regard our invention as including such changes and modifications as do not constitute a departure from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

l. In apparatus of the character described, a slide having a wire-drawing die thereon, means for reciprocating said slide for intermittently pushing said die over a strand of wire stock, a pair of cooperating feed rolls adjacent said slide and engageable with the drawn stock, a second pair of feed rolls spaced from the first and also engageable with the drawn stock, straightening means arranged to operate on the stock between said pairs of feed rolls, and means for driving both pairs of feed rolls intermittently and in timed relation to the actuation of said die slide.

2. In apparatus of the character described, a reciprocable die slide having a wire-drawing die thereon, a pivoted lever engageable with, said slide, a rotatable drive shaft, a link connected with said lever and having eccentric connection with said drive shaft, said eccentric connection being adjustable to vary the drawing stroke of said slide, a gripping device engageable with the stock and adapted to prevent backward movement thereof during the drawing stroke, a pair of feed rolls engageable with the drawn stock for advancing the same, a second pair of feed rolls spaced from the first pairand also engageable with the drawn stock, straightening means arranged to operate on` the stock between said pairs of feed rolls, and means for driving both pairs of said feed rolls with a step-by-step feeding movement in timed relation to the actuation of the die slide including a one-way clutch and linkage connected with said pivoted lever, said linkage being adjustable for varying the feeding movement of said riils with respect to the drawing stroke of the die s e.

3. In apparatus of the character described, a reciprocable die slide having a wire-drawing die thereon, a pivoted lever engageable with said slide, a. rotatable drive shaft, a link connected with said lever and having eccentric connection with said drive shaft, a gripping device engagewith said pivoted lever. and stock straightening means located between said pairs of feed rolls and engageable with the drawn stock for straightening the same.

FREDERICK W. GAINES, 3RD. WILLIAM A. EHLERT. 

